Dr. Spencer Reid, SSA (someonesbitch) wrote in marinasylum, @ 2009-12-26 02:29:00 |
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Entry tags: | demyx, gino weinberg, lain iwakura, riku, spencer reid, willow rosenberg, zelda (ocarina) |
Well, it would seem that many people here aren't aware of the Christmas holiday, so allow me to elucidate it for you.
The origins of many of the Christianity-based Christmas traditions actually have their roots in Pagan winter solstice rituals. The original celebration was a Roman one to honor their sun gods, since this date was the one where the sun stopped sinking to the south, and regained its northward course. Since these rituals were so popular in the early days of Christianity, it was decided that this date be chosen to make this new religion accessible to the populace, in a kind of ancient PR move. The significance of the date was the birth of Jesus Christ, believed to be the one to save mankind from damnation. To go further into that isn't what I'm setting here to do.
As the centuries went on, and Christianity spread, different cultures began to add more secular and pagan traditions to the mix. Represented around us are evergreen trees, Santa Claus, holly, ivy, and mistletoe. The trees originated from the same Roman solstice rituals, which included bringing boughs of evergreen into people's houses. They soon expanded into the entity we know now, and nearly every country in which Christmas has taken hold has its own traditions associated with them. Holly was meant to serve, ironically, as protection from pagans and witches after Christianity had taken full effect. Ivy was to symbolize the coming to earth of Jesus.
If anyone has any further questions, I would be happy to answer them, and I've got a stack of books set aside near the front of the library if anyone would like to do some further reading on the matter. It's always interesting to see how different people treat the same events and seasons. If anyone else has anything about this particular time of year to share about their worlds, I'd be happy to learn about it. I will be in the library if anyone would like to come meet me.
[[Private to Gino]]
Have you obtained that evaluation from Sentience yet? If there is anything you would like to discuss, please feel free to meet with me anytime.